Our Story

The McShin Foundation is Virginia's leading authentic peer-to-peer Recovery Community Organization (RCO).

The McShin Foundation

The McShin Foundation was founded in 2004 by husband and wife duo John Shinholser and Carol McDaid to fill a void they saw in the care of Richmonders seeking recovery. John left a lucrative painting business to start the foundation and Carol is a veteran lobbyist for mental health and drug policy at the federal level. Hatcher Memorial Baptist Church opened their doors to McShin, offering office space when no one else was receptive to the idea of a recovery organization. From two offices in the basement of a church, McShin has grown into the organization it is today, including a 15,000 square foot recovery center and over 100 recovery residence beds in Richmond and the surrounding areas. Both in long-term recovery themselves, John and Carol continue working daily to combat Substance Use Disorders and help people start their recovery journey.

Did you know?

The McShin Foundation currently serves, but is not limited to, three peer populations:

Re-Entry individuals from jails, prisons, or institutions, recovery resistant individuals with a history of relapse, and individuals seeking aftercare from treatment centers.

Recovery Community Organizations

The McShin Model

The McShin Foundation is a Recovery Community Organization (RCO). An RCO is defined in part as having resources such as: Halfway Houses, Transitional Recovery Houses, linkage to Medical Detox Services, and being connected with alcohol and drug rehabs, substance abuse treatment and aftercare. McShin offers a social model recovery program that implements authentic Peer-to-peer delivered Recovery Support Services (PRSS).